Valtteri Bottas was more than satisfied with third place despite a relatively lonely Belgian Grand Prix.
The Finn was unable to threaten teammate Lewis Hamilton ahead and didn't even get to battle Sebastian Vettel as the German pitted soon after being overtaken by the leading Mercedes.
Still, on the weekend where he was confirmed to be staying put for 2020, it was a solid weekend to match his best result in Belgium.
“Honestly I think it’s my best result, in terms of the feeling and the performance I had, in Spa,” Bottas said.
“It’s normally been one of the most difficult ones for me. In the first stint, I was lacking a bit in the end, with tyre drop off but in the second stint, I was really strong.
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“At the end, close to the flag, we knew we wouldn’t be getting any more opportunities, I was just saving the engine, saving the gearbox - it was a Sunday drive in the end," he conceded.
“You know, we didn’t get many opportunities along the way, it was nice to pick up one place because we had a better strategy than Sebastian. It was positive, but we were waiting for the opportunities, but there weren’t many.”
Looking ahead, Hamilton has already sent a warning about Ferrari's potential this weekend in Italy but Bottas is keen to disappoint the Tifosi once again.
“They are going to be quick there, but last year they were quick as well but we managed to make their life difficult,” he said.
“That’s when we got booed on the podium and everything, so we try to do the same again.”
